History, culture, education, taste… every moment of this tour exceeded all expectations and without question goes down as one of the top 10 cultural experiences of my life. My fiancé and I booked this tour last minute by DM’ing one of the owners on WhatsApp. He set us up with Aditya, a professional chef who speaks perfect English, who met us just outside of Old Delhi. I figured this would be a random sampling of various food carts but no, this was a masterclass in India’s culinary history and how the craft of creating various Indian staples has evolved. We learned how various curries affect the taste of various breads, how some ingredients provide taste immediately and others take a moment to kick in, and how so much of Indian cuisine evolved as a result of British rule and independence.
I’m from America where street food equals good, but certainly not high quality fair. Not here. The food we sampled ranged from simple potatoes to next-level concoctions i didn’t know existed (fruit sandwiches… what?) The commonality though was it was all the highest quality. Everything was fresh and everything was clean which means: 1. It tasted amazing 2. Neither I nor my fiancé got sick.
Aditya took us through back alleys that we would never have seen to observe flower markets, chili markets and rooftop views that were running amok with monkeys. We went on a rickshaw ride which was more exciting than any amusement park back in the States. I cannot talk this tour up enough. Book it and be wowed. It is the closest thing to Anthony Bourdains Parts Unknown.
Oh, and re: COVID, our guide was double vaccinated, provided sanitary wipes and hand sanitizer at every stop. My fiancé, who is a super germaphobe, felt safe the whole time. Book it!!
